Nancy Pelosi announces impeachment inquiry - what happens next?

Democrats have opened a formal impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump over allegations he sought help from a foreign power to damage a political rival.

At a news conference, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives will examine whether Trump sought Ukraine's help to smear former vice president Joe Biden, the frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Pelosi said the US president’s actions had “seriously violated the constitution” and amounted to “a betrayal of our national security”. She added: “The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.”

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However, Trump described the move as “witch hunt garbage” and “presidential harassment”.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy backed the president when he said that Pelosi “does not speak for America when it comes to this issue,” adding: “She cannot unilaterally decide we're in an impeachment inquiry.”

Impeachment is when a legislative body formally applies charges against the president. Beginning in impeachment inquiry does not mean automatic removal from office and is only the first step towards ejection.

Pelosi said that as a committee investigates the US president's phone call with the Ukrainian leader, six congressional committees investigating Trump on other matters will also continue under the umbrella of a formal impeachment inquiry.

CNN says that while the overall outcome is uncertain, “we will almost certainly have a full House vote on whether Trump deserves to be impeached”.

Democrats hold a 235-197 majority in the House of Representative, giving them far more than the 218 votes required to impeach.

However, an impeachment inquiry would be unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.

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Pelosi’s move came after a US intelligence whistle-blower accused the president of “multiple acts” of misconduct including making a secret promise to a foreign leader.

The whistle-blower has lodged a formal complaint about a phone call Trump made with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.

Democrats say Trump threatened to withhold military aid to force Ukraine to investigate corruption allegations against former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Although Trump has admitted discussing Biden with Zelensky, he said he was merely trying to get Europe to step up assistance by threatening to withhold military aid.

Taking to Twitter, Trump has promised to release a transcript of his conversation with Ukraine's president today to show it was “totally appropriate”.

The move towards an impeachment has been coming for some time but commencing an inquiry means a milestone has been passed. “The dam has broken. The genie is out of the bottle,” writes the BBC’s Anthony Zurcher.

USA Today points out that in a twist of fate, Trump is set to meet Zelensky in person today at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. All eyes will be on how the unpredictable president reacts in the days ahead.